Vocab Terms to know

A Accepting - Taking the offer you are given by another player and using it to further a scene. Also called yes anding Advancing - Moving the scene forward. Doing something new that makes sense with respect to the context of the current scene Adjudication - What takes place after a performance where discussion is made about what went right and what could be improved upon. Sometimes a coach, sometimes a group Ask-For - Something the team requests from the audience with which to play the game/create the scene Asking Questions - Making another player define something or make a decision instead of making it yourself. A form of wimping Aside - Takes place when a player exits the scene to talk directly to the audience. It is usually very short. A longer aside is called a monologue or soliloquy

B Background (1) - Anything that is happening apart from the main action of the scene. The physicalization and miming which help define the location Background (2) - The players who are not in the main action. They may enter as walk-ons or accept offers from the main players, but in general they physicalize the environment and give focus to the others Backline - The back of the stage - usually players stand to wait to perform Blind Offer - An offer made wherein the creator of the offer does not know where it will be taken Blocking - The opposite of accepting. Rejecting or denying an offer and stopping the game/scene from advancing (See Denial) Breaking the Routine - Changing the action by doing something related to the original routine Brownbag - To put material in that is sexual, nasty, or generally unacceptable material. Trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Bulldozing - Moving through a scene and not paying attention to the other players’ offers but trying to push only your own ideas into the scene. Not a good thing. (See Driving)

C Callback Using information, suggestion, or punchline from a previous scene in the current scene. Canceling Accepting an offer and then dropping it from use. Otherwise know as delayed blocking or delayed denial. Character - the WHO in the scene Combining - Taking two or more suggestions and using them together in an inter-mixed way. Conflict - The problem of the game/scene to be solved. Is directly related to the O in CORE Context - The context of the suggestion that is being asked for. For instance, what is done with the suggestion “banana” should depend on the context (did the team ask for an object or a fruit)

3-2-1 List the 3 Vocab words you see happening in the following example. List the 2 Vocab words you do not see happening in the following example. List 1 Vocab word you are not sure what it means.

D Defining - Identifying characters, objects, environment, and so forth in the scene (as early as possible). Also called gifting Denial - The opposite of yes anding. Also called Blocking Driving (1) - Being responsible for advancing the game/scene Driving (2) Taking control of a game/scene and not letting other players contribute ideas

E Endowing - Giving a location or another player a characteristic based on your actions towards them/it. Also known as Gifting Environment - The location of the game/scene created by the players Extending (1) - Drawing something out to make it the focus of the scene. Related to Finding-The-Game Extending (2) - Drawing something out and delaying instead of thinking of a new ides. Also known as Stalling

F Feeding (1) - Entering the scene from the background and showing the suggestion being used in a new way. Feeding (2) - Doing something to show someone else’s character, or giving them an easy opening to allow their character to be shown in a new way. Related to Gifting Fill-in-the-Blank - A game/scene that is not really improvised and only does lip service to the suggestion. (Some of Who’s Line) Finding-The-Game - The concept that if a player stumbles upon a gimmick in the game being played that the audience finds amusing, other players may pick up on and run with. Flag - A pre-planned element in a scene that helps the teams to use the suggestion. Same as Gimmick Focus - The most important thing happening in the scene at the time and where all the audience’s attentions should be located. Same as POC

Check-in

G Gagging - Trying to make a joke or force something to be funny that doesn’t flow naturally from the scene. Always a bad idea. Gimmick - The rule or objective to the game being played. What makes this game different from others. Goal - What the character is trying to achieve in a scene/game. The O in CORE. Gossip - Talking about actions in a scene instead of doing actions. Or talking about what people are doing or things that happened in the past.

H Handle - The name of the game. Hedging - A type of delaying. When a player waits and spends too much time on something while they think of something else to do. Hogging - Taking away focus from the others players and driving the scene on your own. Host - The person who welcomes the audience, introduces the game and it’s rules, and gets the Ask-For from the audience. Huddle - The time a team spends after they get the suggestion and before they perform. Best to be kept short (10-20 seconds) so the audience is not waiting. Some types of improv have huddles as long as 30 minutes (long form).

I-J Ignoring - Ignoring others’ offers. Not a nice thing to do. This is even worse than blocking. Instant Stakes/Trouble - Starting the scene with an offer that creates a problem of a conflict. Usually frowned upon. It is usually better to first establish a decent Platform (CRE) and then explore O. Intro - The preamble to a scene before the Ask-For is given and the Blind Offer is obtained. Justifying - The reason why characters do what they do in the scene. A good thing (obviously).

Check-in

L-M Lip Service (1) - Mentioning the suggestion without really using it in the scene or basing the scenes choices on it. Lip Service (2) - Saying the suggestion as a word instead of showing it being used. Main Player(s)- The players in a particular scene who have the major speaking roles. They should have the focus of the audience’s attention through most of the scene. Mugging - Showing your entire face to the audience and using your facial expressions to show “funny” instead of acting truthfully. Usually frowned upon - but can be used sparingly.

N-O Naming - Same as Defining or Gifting Narrative - The story told in the scene Objective - The goal of the game (tied to the Conflict) Obstacle - The problem preventing the characters in a scene from getting what they want. Offer - Any action or dialogue that advances a scene. Also know as a Gift Overloading - Throwing unnecessary elements into a scene (often seen as a un-needed character in a scene) which will usually prevent whatever was going to happen from happening.

Check-In

P Pimping (1) - Helping another player to exploit the gimmicks of the game. Pimping (2) - Playfully getting another player to do something unpleasant or difficult. Used sparingly it can be funny (if accepted). Platform - The CORE of the scene. Best to establish early. Player - The actor in an improv game Postponing - Opposite of advancing. Not a gogod thing to do. (See Waffling and Wimping) Pre-Show - What players do before a show to get “pumped up”.

R-S Raising the Stakes - A good technique for advancing the scene; make the events in the scene have greater consequences for the characters in the scene. Reincorporating - Recycling or re-using ideas or situations from earlier in the scene or from previous scenes. Overdone it turns into a Running Gag. Running Gag - Recycling a situation or character from a previously played scene over and over (remember funnies come in 3s). Can be funny but use sparingly. Setup - See Intro Sideline - Players waiting in the wings to perform. See Backline. Sidetracking - Changing the main story line for no reason. Happens usually due to Overloading or Gagging

Check-In

T-Y Talking Heads - A scene in which there is little action and in which the characters mainly talk. See Gossiping, and Waffling. Waffling - Postponing by lack of ideas - you just keep babbling in the hope an idea will come to you. Wimping - Babbling without accomplishing any action or anything constructive. Yes And… - Also known as Advancing